Steve Martin Tweets a Pic of Pure Comedic Royalty

On Saturday night, Steve Martin tweeted a picture of him and his friends Chevy Chase, Billy Crystal and Robin Williams. The first thing that came to my mind was, "I bet they snorted my weight in cocaine before I was even born" and "One amigo shy of a reunion set," too. Where was Martin Short??

Martin tweeted the pic with the caption "When comics get together, it doesn't get funnier than this," owing to the dourness of the expressions on all their faces.

It reminded me of how much the quartet has aged just in my lifetime. Chase is the oldest at age 68, and Williams is the baby of the crew at 61, and by far Crystal and Williams have aged the best. Chase's dress coat seems like it's yearning to break free from its moorings.

The picture was taken backstage at a charity event in St. Paul, and was covered by our sister paper City Pages. The Starkey Hearing Foundation's 12th annual So the World May Hear gala looked like a blast. Maria Bello and skater Tony Hawk were also in attendance.

How much better could this picture get? Maybe if Albert Brooks was there wincing, or even Bill Murray could have been in the mix, in a light windbreaker and a bucket hat surrounded by cute hipster girls.

Thirty years ago, this picture would have probably included John Belushi, too. He died 30 years ago this past March.

All told, you are also looking at more than 25 hosting appearances on Saturday Night Live, too, not even counting quickie guest spots, like Chase and Martin make from time to time. Fifteen Oscar-hosting spots, too, with Chase arguably turning in a failing doozy in 1988. He hasn't been asked back, and Crystal will probably be hosting the awards show until he dies.

And yes, I know there are also a lot of bad movies that have come from this group, but Patch Adams, Father's Day, Cheaper by the Dozen and Cops and Robbersons can all be forgiven.